


New Growth

by redbrunja



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, Nakama, Protective Avengers, Protective Steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-16
Updated: 2012-12-16
Packaged: 2017-11-21 06:40:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/594634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbrunja/pseuds/redbrunja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Next to him, Steve was sitting attentively, focused on the class being taught on mats spread across the floor. There were several groups of people also taking advantage of the seating, some working on tablets, others observing Natasha Romanoff assisting in a basic self-defense class, others stretching out in preparation for a workout or a sparring match of their own. Behind Steve and Clint, there was a whispered conversation, too low for Clint to clear. As irritations went, it hardly registered, especially when most of his attention was on Natasha, who was looking adorable (not that he would say that to her face) in pig-tails and a green tank, showing a SHIELD technician with the build of a pipe clearer and a mop of curly hair how to fall correctly."</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Growth

Clint slouched on the bleachers. He'd picked a spot right in the middle of a rectangle of sunshine from one of the gym's high windows. Next to him, Steve was sitting attentively, focused on the class being taught on mats spread across the floor. There were several groups of people also taking advantage of the seating, some working on tablets, others observing Natasha Romanoff assisting in a basic self-defense class, others stretching out in preparation for a workout or a sparring match of their own. Behind Steve and Clint, there was a whispered conversation, too low for Clint to clear. As irritations went, it hardly registered, especially when most of his attention was on Natasha, who was looking adorable (not that he would say that to her face) in pig-tails and a green tank, showing a SHIELD technician with the build of a pipe clearer and a mop of curly hair how to fall correctly.  
  
It was a damn good way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  
  
The regular instructor (former SEAL, almost as tall and broad as Steve, great person to have on hand to demonstrate that the bigger they are, the harder they fall - but only when your form is correct) asked for a demonstration, and Natasha carefully and skillfully flipped him, moving into a classic arm bar once he was down.  
  
Steve watched Nat with more attention than the techs and support staff who were supposed to be learning how to keep themselves alive if things got bad enough or out of control enough that they had to. Nat didn't seem bothered by the few students not taking it seriously. Clint would have tossed them out of the room at the first bored glance, which was why it was a damn good thing he wasn't about to volunteer to help.  
  
Clint had been surprised when, years ago, Natasha had started helping with these kinds of beginner classes. Steve wasn't, which means that Steve knew Natasha better than Clint had, when he'd only know Natasha for a handful of months; or that Steve had a more optimistic view of people in general than Clint did; or that the Natasha Steve had meet three weeks ago hadn't been the Natasha that Clint had recruited.  
  
"All of the above," Clint said to himself and took a swig from his water bottle.  
  
"Hmm?" Steve said.  
  
"Not important," Clint responded.  
  
The class was moving on to choke holds. Nat glanced their way and didn't do something so obvious as smile, but there was something warm in her eyes, in her otherwise professional expression.  
  
Steve nodded at her. Clint didn't let himself move, because he could just see himself waving at her like a jackass teenager.  
  
They watched for a few more minutes when Steve suddenly drew himself up, his focus no longer on Natasha and the students below.  
  
The whispered conversation behind Clint had turned into ugly sniggers. Clint recognized the sound of two assholes asking for a punch to the mouth; didn't matter that he hadn't heard the conversation preceding. His asshole radar had been pretty finely tuned since he was eight.  
  
Clint twisted around, opened his mouth, but Steve was already on his feet.  
  
"Show some respect," he said, voice low. He was using his Captain America voice; honorable, implacable. It was a voice that went with a man who you obeyed because you wanted to be the kind of person who did what Captain America said.  
  
One of them choked on the tail end of his snigger, gagged.  
  
Steve's jaw tightened and he lowered his voice further, clearly the kind of officer who was not about to upbraid someone publicly, regardless of how out of line they were.  
  
The two agents tried to slink backwards without actually moving and only managed to look like pair of constipated weasels.  
  
Clint had half a second to wonder what they'd said to piss off Steve so much, and then Steve went, "Agent Romanoff has put her life on the line and she deserves to be treated with courtesy and professionalism."  
  
Clint went from annoyed and amused to furious. He knew  _exactly_  the kind of shit that those agents had been spewing about Nat; he'd heard enough of it before the dickheads in SHIELD's employ had gotten the memo not to talk trash about her where he could over hear unless they wanted to be carrying their own teeth into Medical.  
  
"You do. not. have the right to talk about  _anyone_  like that," Steve continued, biting off the ends of his words.  
  
Clint wondered how upset Nat would be if he and Steve disrupted her class by throwing these two assholes off the bleachers.  
  
"We were just-" asshole on the right started to rationalize and excuse and Steve... well, Steve just looked at him like he was the lowest kind of scum, until the man trailed off into silence. Steve let him, let him dangle there, visibly wishing that he could crawl into a hole and die, and then Steve spoke.  
  
Steve Rogers didn't yell, didn't threaten. He just clearly and concisely laid out exactly what miserable, small-minded, disrespectful excuses for human beings they were and just what it said about them that they had the gall to speak about Agent Romanoff in such demeaning terms.  
  
It wasn't the most glorious think Clint had ever seen; but that was only because he'd seen Natasha Romanoff in action. It was, however, the  _fifth_  most glorious thing he'd ever had the pleasure of witnessing.  
  
When Captain America finished - said, "dismissed" in this voice, like, "I'd prefer to dismiss you from this planet but can't because I Am A Good Man," Clint felt like he should do a slow clap.  
  
The two jackasses scrabbled off the bleachers, headed for the door just shy of a run.  
  
On the floor, Nat was looking at them with a curious expression. Steve gave her a firm, commanding, 'we-have-your-back-Agent-Romanoff' nod.  
  
Clint waved at her like a jackass teenager.

**Author's Note:**

> There is a cut line right after the first time Steve nods at Natasha and Clint doesn't wave at her, where I wanted to have Clint say, or consider saying, "I'm dating the quarterback." It didn't work, because it's kind of a cheap joke, but if you can't put a cheap joke in the author's note, where can you?
> 
> This was written for cybermathwitch who prompted:
> 
> _And my guilty pleasure prompt (and I'm convinced this can be done in a way that in no way shape or form lessens just how much of a badass Natasha is, but no one seems to be writing much in this vein):_
> 
> _The other Avengers being protective/defensive of Natasha (either in her presence or on her behalf), even though they know she doesn't need for them to be and that she can take care of herself. She spent too long *having* to be the one taking care of herself with no one else to help her and dammit, she isn't alone anymore._


End file.
